Jean Slater
Summary Quirky Jean always aims to please. She’s a kind-hearted woman who’s better off kept away from the kitchen, as her cooking leaves a lot to be desired! She fights an on-going battle with bipolar disorder, but she strives to be ‘normal’ and ‘belong’. She’s a romantic who likes to see people smiling, so working on the local flower stall fulfils her and makes her feel wanted. It’s not been easy bringing up “Stacey Slater ice skater” and tearaway Sean, but she wins a Blue Peter badge for top effort. Backstory Jean married Brian Slater and had two children in the 1980s, Sean (Robert Kazinsky) and Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner). Brian died in December 1999 following an accident on a building site; it was later revealed that Sean had punched him, causing him to fall from scaffolding. Sean ran away after the accident and joined the army, and Jean later believed he died in combat. Jean, a sufferer of bipolar disorder, was unable to cope with the loss of her husband and son. She was non-compliant with medication and ordered Stacey, her main carer, to leave her house in 2004. Stacey subsequently moved in with her paternal great uncle Charlie (Derek Martin) and his family in Walford. Jean's Life on the square... Jean's condition steadily deteriorates and despite Stacey's help, Jean attempts suicide and is sectioned in 2005. Over the following years, she attempts to rebuild her relationship with Stacey and Sean (following his return from the army). She makes progress with Stacey, but Sean continues to reject her. Jean moves in with the Slater family in Walford in 2006 and meets Ted (Richard Hope) at a singles night. They begin a brief romance; however, Ted ends it because he cannot handle Jean's personality. Jean takes the rejection badly, has a breakdown and is admitted to a psychiatric ward for several months. When Stacey begins showing symptoms of bipolar, Jean intervenes and Stacey is sectioned. During her stay in hospital, Stacey grows close to another patient, Becca Swanson (Simone James); upon Stacey's release, Becca returns to live with her. Becca vies for Stacey's attention. She grows jealous of Stacey's husband Bradley Branning and Jean. Following Bradley's death and the birth of Stacey's baby in 2010, Becca successfully attempts to exclude Jean from Stacey's life. It is not until the true extent of Becca's involvement in Bradley's death is revealed (Becca had called the police and implicated him for Archie Mitchell's murder and Bradley died in the subsequent police chase) that Stacey finally sees sense and begins to trust Jean again. While at R&R nightclub, Jean is saved by Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) from a man who pesters her. Jean invites Billy back to her house and they have sex, but Billy hurts her feelings the next day when she hears him making insulting comments about her and Stacey punches him. Despite her upset, she accepts Billy's apology, dismissing it as just a one-night stand. Following Stacey's confession that it was her, not Bradley, who murdered Archie a year before, Jean begins to doubt Stacey is fit to care for Lily. This is made worse by Janine stabbing herself and making it look like Stacey was responsible. She phones the police asking them to detain Stacey. Fearing prison, Stacey attempts to flee and she is eventually helped to escape by Jean once Stacey reveals her motive behind Archie's murder - he had raped her. Stacey takes Lily and leaves on Christmas Day 2010. Jean is heartbroken by her departure; she grows depressed and Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) finds her in the bath fully clothed attempting to drown herself. Realising that she is not coping, she decides to admit herself into a psychiatric hospital. Kat visits Jean three months later and Jean reveals she is better and can leave. Kat invites her to stay with her, which she does. She starts working as a barmaid when Kat and Alfie go on holiday and becomes fascinated by Alfie's second cousin Eddie Moon (David Essex), who is looking after the pub. She is excited to learn that he wears silk underwear, but when she tries to tell him she knows this, he thinks she read a private letter and shouts at her. Jean then takes a liking to Norman Simmonds (George Layton) but he prefers Pat Evans (Pam St Clement). Category:Female Category:Mother Category:Past Characters Category:Single Category:Widowed Category:Caterer Category:Bartender Category:Bi-Polar Category:Adult Category:Suicide Attempt